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Dayton to audit Red Lake schools in July
William J. Lawrence
Publisher
In a phone interview yesterday
afternoon, Minnnesota State
Auditor Mark Dayton told the
News that he was planning to
audit the Red Lake School
District as soon after June 30th,
the close of the district's fiscal
year, as possible.
He said he was meeting with
his scheduling committee later in
the day to set up a definite date.
Dayton indicated that he had
received a phone call from acting
Red Lake Superintendent, Ed
Kroenke on Monday, April 29,
clearing the way for the audit.
In a letter dated April 24,
Dayton had requested the state
legislature to withhold additional
state funds from the Red Lake
School District effective Oct 31,
1991, if a state audit wasn't
conducted prior to that time.
He also said that the district
would be required to be certified
that it is complying with state
law in the handling of state
funds.
According to information
obtained from the Minnesota
Department of Education and the
school district's CPA firm,
McGladney and Pullen, the
district could be up to $2.5
million in the red by June 30.
Reports of using educational
aid funds to give out interest
free loans to school board
members and employees; the
issuance of over $500,000 of
checks without vendors' names;
$750,000 of unpaid bills; and
numerous financial records
either destroyed or missing were
cited by Dayton as some of the
reasons an audit is necessary at
Red Lake.
Dayton denied that there were
any political motivations for the
audit as,was charged by the Red
Lake school board in a news
release dated April 25.
He said his office had decided
to perform the audit at the
request of Minnesota
Commissioner of Education,
Gene Mammenga.
In a related manner, Red Lake
residents Ken Graves and Roman
Sigana told the News they were
dissatisfied with the information
provided them in response to
their formal request, under the
Minnesota Data Practices Act,
and they were considering suing
Vine Deloria, Jr. will speak at BSU
On May 2, internationally known writer, researcher, scholar, professor,
and lecturer, Vine Deloria, Jr. will address the Freshman English
Symposium. The symposium will be held from 2-4 p.m. in room 100 of
Memorial Hall on the BSU campus. This symposium is a part of the
English Week celebration. He will also address the Indian Awards
Banquet at 6 p.m. On May 3, Deloria will be the guest speaker at a BSU
Campus Community Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the Beaux Arts Ballroom.
He is the author of God is Red, The Metaphysics of Modern Existence,
Custer Died for Your Sins, and eleven other books of national
prominence. He has also published numerous articles and essays.
Bom on die Pine Ridge Reservation, Vine is a member of the Standing
Rock Sioux Tribe in Fort Yates, N.D. He completed an undergraduate
degree in general science from Iowa State University and a Masters degree
of sacred theology from the Lutheran School of Theology. He received a
Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he now
holds professorships in American Indian studies and law.
Volkslauf Walk/Run race
You are invited to celebrate the Minnesota State Parks Centennial by
joining in the 10th Annual Volkslauf Walk/Run race on Sunday, May 5 at
Lake Bemidji State Park starting at 1:00 p.m. This is a 4 K fitness walk and
an 8 K cross country walk/run race. This is a race for all ages, whether you
are 1 or 100. A community picnic of brats, baked beans, chips and beverage
for only a dollar will follow the race.
Awards include participation ribbons for all finishers of the 4 K walking
event. There will be age group ribbons for 1st through 5th place racers in
the 8 K walk/run race. Special awards will go to the top male and female
finishers, and the eldest and youngest participants. The first 130 registrants
will receive a tree seedling compliments of Bemidji State Park.
You may pre-register with Bemidji Community Education. Check-in time
will be from 10:30-12:30 the day of the race. A Minn. State Park permit is
required and can be purchased at the park. This race is being co-sponsored by
KKBJ/KJ104 Radio, Lake Bemidji State Park and Nei Bottling of Bemidji.
Indian economic issues on agenda
The 1991 Indian Economic and Business Development Conference,
hosted by the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, will be held May 22-24 at the
Holiday Inn in Bemidji. The event will feature 33 presenters from
Minn., Mich., Iowa, and Wis. An awards presentation will be made by
Harold "Skip" Finn. Awards will be given to the Economic
Development Person of the Year and the Indian Business of the Year.
Topics to be addressed include barriers and successes of Indian
economic and business development, international trade, strategic
planning, contributions and affects of Indian gaming and future
developments, accounting, marketing, taxation, bonding, insurance,
procurement information, human resources management, and public
and private financing.
Co-sponsors of the conference are the Minnesota Department of
Transportation, Bemidji State University Small Business Development
Center. For registration information, contact Sharon James at (218)
335-8583. If you have a Minnesota Indian-owned business and would
like to be included in the 1991 Directory of Minnesota
Indian-Owned Businesses, call Jody Wind at (218) 335-8583.
Interchange program to visit Cass Lake
Guthrie performer Maren Hinderlie will facilitate a day of shared stories
from family histories, myths, and personal experiences, Tuesday, May 7th,
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Minnesota Chippewa Tribal Chambers in
Cass Lake. The intergenerational storytelling workshop invites parents,
grandparents, children, and teens to exchange personal family stories and
celebrate today's relationship with yesterday. The community is invited to
the 7:00 p.m. May 7th performance of The Road Home, presented by Ms.
Hinderlie, who will be joined by workshop participants telling their own
stories, at the Minnesota Chippewa Facility Center. It is free and open to the
public, a donation for the Minn. Food Shelf is requested. Seating is limited.
For more information or to register for the workshop, call Cass Lake
Community Center at (218) 335-2888.
Storytelling will be the topic of a workshop Wed., May 8,5 to 10 p.m. in
Bemidji American Legion Hall. Call Bemidji Community Education at
(218) 759-3285 for more information and registration, class size is limited.
Interchange Project's goal is to complement already rich resources and to
stimulate a greater interest in theater art. There will be another interchange when
members of these communities visit the Guthrie to experience a performance."
The Interchange program is supported by a generous grant from Blandin.
Walking Elk offers music with a message
The Plains Art Museum is pleased to present American Indian musician
Mitch Walking Elk at the F-M Community Theatre on Friday May 3 at 8 p.m.
Walking Elk, part Cheyenne, Hopi, and Arapaho, was bom in Oklahoma
and grew up in boarding schools. He moved to South Dakota as an adult to
leam Indian customs and traditional ways, living on the Yankton Sioux
reservation. Walking Elk has repeatedly stated, "Indian traditions - the old
ways - saved my life, and music is a part of it."
Performing such notable artisits as Michael Johnson, Leo Kottke, and
Richie Havens, Walking Elk plays contemporary Indian music that focuses
on his own feelings as well as the troubles and celebrations of Indian
people. Walking Elk has released three albums: Dreamer, Indians, and In
the Spirit of Crazy Horse. Tickets are $10 and include a special wine and
cheese intermission. Tickets may be purchased at the Plains Art Museum,
521 Main Avenue, Moorhead, at the Plains Art Resource Center, 219 7th
St South, Fargo, or at the door. For more information call 293-0903 during
business hours.
Check out our
Pow Wow Trail
the district.
Sigana told the News that,
according to what he observed
during the 3-hour meeting on
April 24, Superintendent
Kroenke and Business Manager
Stephanie Cobenais, "the school
financial records are really
messed up". He said that "they
had our request for over two
weeks and they were only able to
give us a few documents."
Ken Graves told the News , "I
didn't like their tone. They were
sure defensive. It's like they
were hiding something or
protecting someone."
Bruce Graves and Francis
Blake, Red Lake residents, were
also at the meeting.
Graves told the News that
Superintendent Kroenke told
them that, based upon written
instructions from Red Lake
school board attorney Margaret
Treuer, the district would not
provide information on the
persons who obtained interest
free loans from district funds.
They were also denied the right
to review the canceled checks.
Despite the group's protests that
the community had a right to
know and that the requested
information is open to the public
under state law, the district still
denied the request.
The News learned that several
of the group have already
consulted with attorneys and will
decide in the near future whether
or. not to file a lawsuit.
Bruce Graves indicated that as
long as Dayton has scheduled his
audit "maybe we'll just sit back
and wait for him to do his thing
and get a copy of his audit before
we proceed with a lawsuit."
Fifty Cents
Founded in 1988
Volume 3 Issue 20
May 1,1991
Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1991
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
E-5 Duane Olson In Attack on Iraq
E-5 Duane Olson, his wife JoAnn, daughters Brandl (4), and Amanda (4 months) visited with relatives in
the Goodrdge and Thief River FAIIs area during the past several days. A 1982 graduate of Goodridge
high school, Olson is a sergeant in the field artillery and was in the first unit to fire on Iraqi positions at the
start of the Persian Gulf ground war. He is on a 30-day leave before returning to Ft Bragg, N.C.
By Marvin Lundin
"No more rain ....No more
boom-boom!"
These words from an Iraqi
Republican Guard Major
surrendering to E-5 Duane Olson's
field artillery battalion sweeping into
Iraq on February 23 told the story of
the effectiveness of the artillery's
rockets.
"Each rocket we fire opens to
scatter 600 bomblets," explained
Olson, a 1982 Goodridge High
School graduate who also attended
the carpentry program at Thief River
Falls Technical College. "The
bombs fall like rain, explode on
impact and pretty well take care of
one square kilometer (a little more
than a quarter section or about 200
acres). We fired 600 rockets during
the 100-hour ground war.
Olson commanded Alpha Battery
of the 3/27 Field Artillery, the first
field artillery unit to fire on Iraqi
positions when the ground war
began February 23. The artillery
followed closely behind the tanks
which led the ground assault,
providing cover for them.
Seventeen rockets were fired from
a staging area about eight kilometers
(one kilometer is .621 miles) from
the Iraq border, Olson said. They
were fired at intervals of about 30
minutes as directed by aerial
observers and intended to take out
air defense systems about 15
kilometers away. At 1800 hours
(6 p.m.) his unit moved out and into
Iraq.
Olson explained that the artillery
piece he commanded is a tracked
self-propelled MLRS (multiple
launcher rocket system) capable of
firing on the move and reported to
have an effective range of 15 to 18
kilometers. Once a rocket launch is
called for, it can be delivered on
target in three minutes.
Is it accurate?
"I wouldn't want to be standing
where we're trying to hit," he said.
"I would say it's very accurate."
Olson's part in the offensive was
with units thrusting across the desert
about 140 miles into Iraq to the
Euphrates river, then along the river
to cut off retreating Iraqi forces and
equipment. He said resistance was
very light and for the most part the
Iraqi troops "just came out of their
holes and surrendered."
He said it took only 36 hours to
advance the 140 miles. The
sequence was to fire rockets on an
area, then advance to that area after
the rocket attack had been followed
up by Apache helicopters. The
artillery unit would secure the area,
move out, fire on another target and
advance to that area.
Part of Olson's duties in securing
an area was to check out undergound
bunkers Iraqi troops had dug for
cover. He said all were unoccupied
as the troops that had been there had
either attempted to flee or
surrendered.
Some bunkers were quite
elaborate, Olson said, and the size of
a living room in a large mobile
home. Some of the tops were
reinforced with six-inch steel pipe
and metal sheeting and carpet had
been laid on the earth walls of one
officer's bunker. Others were much
smaller and less comfortable.
Generally the bunkers were in
clusters, Olson said, with about 40 in
an area and spaced about 20 feet
apart. Most were at least six feet
high and would allow the occupants
to stand erect.
While the Repubican Guard was
purported to be the elite of Iraq's
fighting force, Olson was
unimpressed. "Maybe they were the
best but they weren't worth a damn,"
he said. "Our privates were better
soldiers than their officers. They
weren't well trained, had no pride
and no military attitude."
While at first he looked at the Iraqi
soldiers as people out to get him, his
attitude changed as the war
continued. "I felt sorry for them," he
said. "As they surrendered they put
their hands to their mouths to show
they were hungry. We carried a lot
of extra food along just for the
POWs. Units coming behind us took
care of the prisoners - they weren't
our responsiblity."
One of the targets Olson's unit
attacked was the highway leading
out of Basara. Television viewers
will recall film of that area which
was littered with untold numbers of
vehicles destroyed as the Iraqis
attempted to flee the allied attack.
"I didn't see any road that didn't
look like that," Olson said. "Our
orders were to prevent convoys form
escaping with equipment. One
convoy we hit, we messed up
(destroyed) 17 T-72 tanks and 30
armored personnel carriers."
Olson said the only civilians seen
during the advance were women and
young children. He spoke to one
POW who was 15 years old and
spoke fairly good English. Another
time he talked with a group of eight
prisoners who had been released.
"I was amazed that they could talk
as much English as they did," he
said. "At first we thought they were
coming to us to surrender. They told
us they had been released and were
told to go home. All they had was
the clothes on their backs and a pair
of jungle boots issued by our
miliary."
Despite the relatively short
duration of the war it was a fatiguing
one. For 72 hours from the time the
ground war began Olson went
virtually without sleep. He was
scared, he said, not only for his own
safety but for the six men in his
battery that he was responsible for.
He said his platoon of 15 people
accounted for about 72 Iraqi
prisoners. His overall unit of about
124 people suffered only one fatality
— a soldier apparently unfamiliar
with the artillery rockets who picked
up one of the scattered bomblets for
a souvenir and it exploded.
Olson said for a few days after the
war ended he could hear a boom
every 10 minutes as allied troops
destroyed military vehicles that had
been damaged or abandoned. He
said that many of the POWs had
been wounded and that Iraqi dead
were buried by allied forces three
feet deep in individual or group
graves.
"They had dog tags (identification
tags) but they were all in Arabic," he
said. "Sticks were put up for markers
and the dog tags were hung on the
sticks."
Iraqi prisoners captured before the
ground war started provided grid
maps of mine fields which proved to
be accurate, Olson said. This
allowed the tanks and other vehicles
to advance rapidly across country
with virtually no damage or
casualties.
Iraqi prisoners of war also said
that they had orders to use chemical
weapons but thay they refused to do
so. Olson said he did not personally
see any such materials in the
bunkers he inspected, but he had
heard of such a find being reported
in the area.
E-5 Olson enlisted in the Army in
1983 and served at Ft. Polk, La., as
well as two and three-year
assignments in Germany. He had
just returned from Germany to Ft.
OlSOn/ see page 2
Vine Deloria, Jr. will speak on religion
Vine Deloria, Jr.
By Dave Gonzales
Vine Deloria, Jr. will speak on
religion at BSU May 3rd at the
Campus Community Breakfast. He is
best known for God is Red, a book
that is currendy out of print. The issue
in Indian country this very moment is
religion according to Deloria.
God is Red is used in American
university classrooms. What Deloria
speaks of has always been an issue,
legally and philosophically.
Americans are willing to go to
Kuwait and fight for Kuwaiti
freedom, based on the original
concept that all people are free to
practice their self-determination,
including religion. What about the
indigenous people and our religion?
The April 24, 1991 City Pages, a
newspaper in the Twin Cities, has a
photograph of a white guy with his
fist in the air and a cap that says:
Save A Walleye Spear An Indian.
What is this psychology?
Moreover, the Minneapolis Star
Tribune, published a story, "1854
treaty overrides law on sale of
feathers." The case of U.S.v Walter
Bresette and Esther Nahgahnub is
one victory that is associated with
the Chippewa (Ojibwa) treaty rights
over federal regulations. It has to do
with more than protected feathers.
It has to do with hunting and
fishing rights and treaties that should
be honored. Indians always read
about treaties with Russia over arms
control. What about honoring the
treaties here?
There are laws, treaty laws, and
international laws. The Seventh
District Circuit Court of Appeals
cited the 1854 treaty and two other
treaties in ruling that the Chippewa
retained liberal rights to fish, hunt.
and gather.
These activities are "religious" in
nature, for the fish, venison, and
wild rice are used in religious
ceremonies. They are more than
food for the body, they keep people
alive spiritually too. The Creator
gave those gifts to be useful in
ceremonies. Spearing, hunting, and
gathering are religious acts and
should not be viewed by the
government as merely food. For the
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanne
Graham to say in the Tribune article
that the new ruling is "limited in
scope" is misrepresenting the issue
of religion and treaties.
Why does the government, state and
federal, repress the idea of freedom of
religion when it comes to Indian
people? Vine Deloria, Jr. will
address that question in his speech
on Friday morning.
^

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Dayton to audit Red Lake schools in July
William J. Lawrence
Publisher
In a phone interview yesterday
afternoon, Minnnesota State
Auditor Mark Dayton told the
News that he was planning to
audit the Red Lake School
District as soon after June 30th,
the close of the district's fiscal
year, as possible.
He said he was meeting with
his scheduling committee later in
the day to set up a definite date.
Dayton indicated that he had
received a phone call from acting
Red Lake Superintendent, Ed
Kroenke on Monday, April 29,
clearing the way for the audit.
In a letter dated April 24,
Dayton had requested the state
legislature to withhold additional
state funds from the Red Lake
School District effective Oct 31,
1991, if a state audit wasn't
conducted prior to that time.
He also said that the district
would be required to be certified
that it is complying with state
law in the handling of state
funds.
According to information
obtained from the Minnesota
Department of Education and the
school district's CPA firm,
McGladney and Pullen, the
district could be up to $2.5
million in the red by June 30.
Reports of using educational
aid funds to give out interest
free loans to school board
members and employees; the
issuance of over $500,000 of
checks without vendors' names;
$750,000 of unpaid bills; and
numerous financial records
either destroyed or missing were
cited by Dayton as some of the
reasons an audit is necessary at
Red Lake.
Dayton denied that there were
any political motivations for the
audit as,was charged by the Red
Lake school board in a news
release dated April 25.
He said his office had decided
to perform the audit at the
request of Minnesota
Commissioner of Education,
Gene Mammenga.
In a related manner, Red Lake
residents Ken Graves and Roman
Sigana told the News they were
dissatisfied with the information
provided them in response to
their formal request, under the
Minnesota Data Practices Act,
and they were considering suing
Vine Deloria, Jr. will speak at BSU
On May 2, internationally known writer, researcher, scholar, professor,
and lecturer, Vine Deloria, Jr. will address the Freshman English
Symposium. The symposium will be held from 2-4 p.m. in room 100 of
Memorial Hall on the BSU campus. This symposium is a part of the
English Week celebration. He will also address the Indian Awards
Banquet at 6 p.m. On May 3, Deloria will be the guest speaker at a BSU
Campus Community Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the Beaux Arts Ballroom.
He is the author of God is Red, The Metaphysics of Modern Existence,
Custer Died for Your Sins, and eleven other books of national
prominence. He has also published numerous articles and essays.
Bom on die Pine Ridge Reservation, Vine is a member of the Standing
Rock Sioux Tribe in Fort Yates, N.D. He completed an undergraduate
degree in general science from Iowa State University and a Masters degree
of sacred theology from the Lutheran School of Theology. He received a
Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he now
holds professorships in American Indian studies and law.
Volkslauf Walk/Run race
You are invited to celebrate the Minnesota State Parks Centennial by
joining in the 10th Annual Volkslauf Walk/Run race on Sunday, May 5 at
Lake Bemidji State Park starting at 1:00 p.m. This is a 4 K fitness walk and
an 8 K cross country walk/run race. This is a race for all ages, whether you
are 1 or 100. A community picnic of brats, baked beans, chips and beverage
for only a dollar will follow the race.
Awards include participation ribbons for all finishers of the 4 K walking
event. There will be age group ribbons for 1st through 5th place racers in
the 8 K walk/run race. Special awards will go to the top male and female
finishers, and the eldest and youngest participants. The first 130 registrants
will receive a tree seedling compliments of Bemidji State Park.
You may pre-register with Bemidji Community Education. Check-in time
will be from 10:30-12:30 the day of the race. A Minn. State Park permit is
required and can be purchased at the park. This race is being co-sponsored by
KKBJ/KJ104 Radio, Lake Bemidji State Park and Nei Bottling of Bemidji.
Indian economic issues on agenda
The 1991 Indian Economic and Business Development Conference,
hosted by the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, will be held May 22-24 at the
Holiday Inn in Bemidji. The event will feature 33 presenters from
Minn., Mich., Iowa, and Wis. An awards presentation will be made by
Harold "Skip" Finn. Awards will be given to the Economic
Development Person of the Year and the Indian Business of the Year.
Topics to be addressed include barriers and successes of Indian
economic and business development, international trade, strategic
planning, contributions and affects of Indian gaming and future
developments, accounting, marketing, taxation, bonding, insurance,
procurement information, human resources management, and public
and private financing.
Co-sponsors of the conference are the Minnesota Department of
Transportation, Bemidji State University Small Business Development
Center. For registration information, contact Sharon James at (218)
335-8583. If you have a Minnesota Indian-owned business and would
like to be included in the 1991 Directory of Minnesota
Indian-Owned Businesses, call Jody Wind at (218) 335-8583.
Interchange program to visit Cass Lake
Guthrie performer Maren Hinderlie will facilitate a day of shared stories
from family histories, myths, and personal experiences, Tuesday, May 7th,
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Minnesota Chippewa Tribal Chambers in
Cass Lake. The intergenerational storytelling workshop invites parents,
grandparents, children, and teens to exchange personal family stories and
celebrate today's relationship with yesterday. The community is invited to
the 7:00 p.m. May 7th performance of The Road Home, presented by Ms.
Hinderlie, who will be joined by workshop participants telling their own
stories, at the Minnesota Chippewa Facility Center. It is free and open to the
public, a donation for the Minn. Food Shelf is requested. Seating is limited.
For more information or to register for the workshop, call Cass Lake
Community Center at (218) 335-2888.
Storytelling will be the topic of a workshop Wed., May 8,5 to 10 p.m. in
Bemidji American Legion Hall. Call Bemidji Community Education at
(218) 759-3285 for more information and registration, class size is limited.
Interchange Project's goal is to complement already rich resources and to
stimulate a greater interest in theater art. There will be another interchange when
members of these communities visit the Guthrie to experience a performance."
The Interchange program is supported by a generous grant from Blandin.
Walking Elk offers music with a message
The Plains Art Museum is pleased to present American Indian musician
Mitch Walking Elk at the F-M Community Theatre on Friday May 3 at 8 p.m.
Walking Elk, part Cheyenne, Hopi, and Arapaho, was bom in Oklahoma
and grew up in boarding schools. He moved to South Dakota as an adult to
leam Indian customs and traditional ways, living on the Yankton Sioux
reservation. Walking Elk has repeatedly stated, "Indian traditions - the old
ways - saved my life, and music is a part of it."
Performing such notable artisits as Michael Johnson, Leo Kottke, and
Richie Havens, Walking Elk plays contemporary Indian music that focuses
on his own feelings as well as the troubles and celebrations of Indian
people. Walking Elk has released three albums: Dreamer, Indians, and In
the Spirit of Crazy Horse. Tickets are $10 and include a special wine and
cheese intermission. Tickets may be purchased at the Plains Art Museum,
521 Main Avenue, Moorhead, at the Plains Art Resource Center, 219 7th
St South, Fargo, or at the door. For more information call 293-0903 during
business hours.
Check out our
Pow Wow Trail
the district.
Sigana told the News that,
according to what he observed
during the 3-hour meeting on
April 24, Superintendent
Kroenke and Business Manager
Stephanie Cobenais, "the school
financial records are really
messed up". He said that "they
had our request for over two
weeks and they were only able to
give us a few documents."
Ken Graves told the News , "I
didn't like their tone. They were
sure defensive. It's like they
were hiding something or
protecting someone."
Bruce Graves and Francis
Blake, Red Lake residents, were
also at the meeting.
Graves told the News that
Superintendent Kroenke told
them that, based upon written
instructions from Red Lake
school board attorney Margaret
Treuer, the district would not
provide information on the
persons who obtained interest
free loans from district funds.
They were also denied the right
to review the canceled checks.
Despite the group's protests that
the community had a right to
know and that the requested
information is open to the public
under state law, the district still
denied the request.
The News learned that several
of the group have already
consulted with attorneys and will
decide in the near future whether
or. not to file a lawsuit.
Bruce Graves indicated that as
long as Dayton has scheduled his
audit "maybe we'll just sit back
and wait for him to do his thing
and get a copy of his audit before
we proceed with a lawsuit."
Fifty Cents
Founded in 1988
Volume 3 Issue 20
May 1,1991
Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1991
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
E-5 Duane Olson In Attack on Iraq
E-5 Duane Olson, his wife JoAnn, daughters Brandl (4), and Amanda (4 months) visited with relatives in
the Goodrdge and Thief River FAIIs area during the past several days. A 1982 graduate of Goodridge
high school, Olson is a sergeant in the field artillery and was in the first unit to fire on Iraqi positions at the
start of the Persian Gulf ground war. He is on a 30-day leave before returning to Ft Bragg, N.C.
By Marvin Lundin
"No more rain ....No more
boom-boom!"
These words from an Iraqi
Republican Guard Major
surrendering to E-5 Duane Olson's
field artillery battalion sweeping into
Iraq on February 23 told the story of
the effectiveness of the artillery's
rockets.
"Each rocket we fire opens to
scatter 600 bomblets," explained
Olson, a 1982 Goodridge High
School graduate who also attended
the carpentry program at Thief River
Falls Technical College. "The
bombs fall like rain, explode on
impact and pretty well take care of
one square kilometer (a little more
than a quarter section or about 200
acres). We fired 600 rockets during
the 100-hour ground war.
Olson commanded Alpha Battery
of the 3/27 Field Artillery, the first
field artillery unit to fire on Iraqi
positions when the ground war
began February 23. The artillery
followed closely behind the tanks
which led the ground assault,
providing cover for them.
Seventeen rockets were fired from
a staging area about eight kilometers
(one kilometer is .621 miles) from
the Iraq border, Olson said. They
were fired at intervals of about 30
minutes as directed by aerial
observers and intended to take out
air defense systems about 15
kilometers away. At 1800 hours
(6 p.m.) his unit moved out and into
Iraq.
Olson explained that the artillery
piece he commanded is a tracked
self-propelled MLRS (multiple
launcher rocket system) capable of
firing on the move and reported to
have an effective range of 15 to 18
kilometers. Once a rocket launch is
called for, it can be delivered on
target in three minutes.
Is it accurate?
"I wouldn't want to be standing
where we're trying to hit," he said.
"I would say it's very accurate."
Olson's part in the offensive was
with units thrusting across the desert
about 140 miles into Iraq to the
Euphrates river, then along the river
to cut off retreating Iraqi forces and
equipment. He said resistance was
very light and for the most part the
Iraqi troops "just came out of their
holes and surrendered."
He said it took only 36 hours to
advance the 140 miles. The
sequence was to fire rockets on an
area, then advance to that area after
the rocket attack had been followed
up by Apache helicopters. The
artillery unit would secure the area,
move out, fire on another target and
advance to that area.
Part of Olson's duties in securing
an area was to check out undergound
bunkers Iraqi troops had dug for
cover. He said all were unoccupied
as the troops that had been there had
either attempted to flee or
surrendered.
Some bunkers were quite
elaborate, Olson said, and the size of
a living room in a large mobile
home. Some of the tops were
reinforced with six-inch steel pipe
and metal sheeting and carpet had
been laid on the earth walls of one
officer's bunker. Others were much
smaller and less comfortable.
Generally the bunkers were in
clusters, Olson said, with about 40 in
an area and spaced about 20 feet
apart. Most were at least six feet
high and would allow the occupants
to stand erect.
While the Repubican Guard was
purported to be the elite of Iraq's
fighting force, Olson was
unimpressed. "Maybe they were the
best but they weren't worth a damn,"
he said. "Our privates were better
soldiers than their officers. They
weren't well trained, had no pride
and no military attitude."
While at first he looked at the Iraqi
soldiers as people out to get him, his
attitude changed as the war
continued. "I felt sorry for them," he
said. "As they surrendered they put
their hands to their mouths to show
they were hungry. We carried a lot
of extra food along just for the
POWs. Units coming behind us took
care of the prisoners - they weren't
our responsiblity."
One of the targets Olson's unit
attacked was the highway leading
out of Basara. Television viewers
will recall film of that area which
was littered with untold numbers of
vehicles destroyed as the Iraqis
attempted to flee the allied attack.
"I didn't see any road that didn't
look like that," Olson said. "Our
orders were to prevent convoys form
escaping with equipment. One
convoy we hit, we messed up
(destroyed) 17 T-72 tanks and 30
armored personnel carriers."
Olson said the only civilians seen
during the advance were women and
young children. He spoke to one
POW who was 15 years old and
spoke fairly good English. Another
time he talked with a group of eight
prisoners who had been released.
"I was amazed that they could talk
as much English as they did," he
said. "At first we thought they were
coming to us to surrender. They told
us they had been released and were
told to go home. All they had was
the clothes on their backs and a pair
of jungle boots issued by our
miliary."
Despite the relatively short
duration of the war it was a fatiguing
one. For 72 hours from the time the
ground war began Olson went
virtually without sleep. He was
scared, he said, not only for his own
safety but for the six men in his
battery that he was responsible for.
He said his platoon of 15 people
accounted for about 72 Iraqi
prisoners. His overall unit of about
124 people suffered only one fatality
— a soldier apparently unfamiliar
with the artillery rockets who picked
up one of the scattered bomblets for
a souvenir and it exploded.
Olson said for a few days after the
war ended he could hear a boom
every 10 minutes as allied troops
destroyed military vehicles that had
been damaged or abandoned. He
said that many of the POWs had
been wounded and that Iraqi dead
were buried by allied forces three
feet deep in individual or group
graves.
"They had dog tags (identification
tags) but they were all in Arabic," he
said. "Sticks were put up for markers
and the dog tags were hung on the
sticks."
Iraqi prisoners captured before the
ground war started provided grid
maps of mine fields which proved to
be accurate, Olson said. This
allowed the tanks and other vehicles
to advance rapidly across country
with virtually no damage or
casualties.
Iraqi prisoners of war also said
that they had orders to use chemical
weapons but thay they refused to do
so. Olson said he did not personally
see any such materials in the
bunkers he inspected, but he had
heard of such a find being reported
in the area.
E-5 Olson enlisted in the Army in
1983 and served at Ft. Polk, La., as
well as two and three-year
assignments in Germany. He had
just returned from Germany to Ft.
OlSOn/ see page 2
Vine Deloria, Jr. will speak on religion
Vine Deloria, Jr.
By Dave Gonzales
Vine Deloria, Jr. will speak on
religion at BSU May 3rd at the
Campus Community Breakfast. He is
best known for God is Red, a book
that is currendy out of print. The issue
in Indian country this very moment is
religion according to Deloria.
God is Red is used in American
university classrooms. What Deloria
speaks of has always been an issue,
legally and philosophically.
Americans are willing to go to
Kuwait and fight for Kuwaiti
freedom, based on the original
concept that all people are free to
practice their self-determination,
including religion. What about the
indigenous people and our religion?
The April 24, 1991 City Pages, a
newspaper in the Twin Cities, has a
photograph of a white guy with his
fist in the air and a cap that says:
Save A Walleye Spear An Indian.
What is this psychology?
Moreover, the Minneapolis Star
Tribune, published a story, "1854
treaty overrides law on sale of
feathers." The case of U.S.v Walter
Bresette and Esther Nahgahnub is
one victory that is associated with
the Chippewa (Ojibwa) treaty rights
over federal regulations. It has to do
with more than protected feathers.
It has to do with hunting and
fishing rights and treaties that should
be honored. Indians always read
about treaties with Russia over arms
control. What about honoring the
treaties here?
There are laws, treaty laws, and
international laws. The Seventh
District Circuit Court of Appeals
cited the 1854 treaty and two other
treaties in ruling that the Chippewa
retained liberal rights to fish, hunt.
and gather.
These activities are "religious" in
nature, for the fish, venison, and
wild rice are used in religious
ceremonies. They are more than
food for the body, they keep people
alive spiritually too. The Creator
gave those gifts to be useful in
ceremonies. Spearing, hunting, and
gathering are religious acts and
should not be viewed by the
government as merely food. For the
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanne
Graham to say in the Tribune article
that the new ruling is "limited in
scope" is misrepresenting the issue
of religion and treaties.
Why does the government, state and
federal, repress the idea of freedom of
religion when it comes to Indian
people? Vine Deloria, Jr. will
address that question in his speech
on Friday morning.
^